Health and Wellbeing Survey Report

IUSG Data Collection Project

Findings Compiled by Elizabeth Algeri and Madeline Garcia

Introduction:
In recent years IU has seen a significant decrease in the use of gym facilities offered to
students. This survey was conducted on behalf of IUSG’s health and wellbeing
committee for the purpose of evaluating the physical activity of students on Indiana
University's campus.

Methodology:
The survey was run on the web-based platform of Google Forms for four days,
November 4-7th, 2019. Over the course of these four days, the survey received 379
responses. The survey was advertised by sharing electronically over group messages,
GroupMe chats, personal social media, and in-person through tabling. On Wednesday,
November 6, at the 10th and Fee Ln intersections, as well as Thursday, November 7, at
the Ballantine Hall intersection and at the First Thursdays festival, IUSG members
passed out small sheets of paper with the QR code linked to the survey.
Due to the nature of the survey’s distribution, the survey was targeted toward IU
students. One flaw in the survey was that it did not include a section for a student to
report their student status or affiliation with the University.

Overview of Key Findings:

1. Time for Exercise

a. 23.2%, the largest percentage of respondents report exercising 0.5-1 hour
per week. Coming in second with 22.4% of respondents is 3-4 hours per
week. All of the responses were within a 6 percentage point range of each
other, showing that time exercised varies heavily among students. The
Department of Health and Human Services recommends people get at
least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate to vigorous exercise each
week. An alarming 60.4% of IU students are not getting that
recommended time in each week. The chart is as follows:
 b. This survey also reported ‘lack of time’ being the number one explanation
for students not working out. Over 82% of respondents answered ‘lack of
time’ as reasoning for not working out. On a college campus, students
may have many other commitments in a day, but greater efforts to
prioritize exercise for students may be a critical step in promoting greater
use of the exercise facilities on campus.

2. Location for Exercise

a. When asking students where they work out, or would work out, 55% of
students replied that they used the SRSC. 75% of respondents answered
with one type of on-campus facility, including the SRSC, the IC, Intramural
Sports, and dorm rooms. The Intramural Center (IC) only received a
16.9% response rate. Coming in second with 28.2% was the outdoors.
Students could check all that applied to them for this question.
b. 25.2% of respondents said that one reason they did not exercise was “No
convenient bus route to exercise facilities (ie. SRSC),” and 11.1% reported
that a lack of parking prevented them from working out.
 
3. Insecurities and Gym Culture
a. Taking into consideration verbal or sexual harassment as a deterrent for
exercising in certain locations, we asked: “How often do you experience
unwanted attention and/or comments while working out?”. The responses
reveal 18% of respondents “sometimes” or “frequently” experience
unwanted attention/comments while working out. Meanwhile, the majority
answer is “never” with 54.4%. The responses are as follows: 
b. In question 3, “When you don’t exercise, what are the reasons why?” was
asked. For 23% of respondents, “Feeling like you don’t belong
there/Insecurities” was a response. This is crucial to address, alongside
the finding that question 6 revealed, where 44% of respondents reported
that physical insecurities had prevented them from working out or caused
them to work out excessively. See the chart below:

c. With respect to the overarching relationship between mental and physical

health, we also asked, “Do you feel that exercise is important to your
mental wellbeing?” 99% of respondents replied “yes” or “somewhat.” This
may be crucial to understanding how exercise is addressed and prioritized
among students. When students are not making time for exercise, they
may be jeopardizing their mental health as well. The chart is attached:
 4. Awareness of the Activity Fee
a. Nearly all students (98.2%) are aware of the Activity Fee and that they
have access to the campus workout facilities. Lack of awareness is not a
significant reason for students to not work out. The SRSA and other
entities should be commended for publicizing this fee and making students
aware of it.

Conclusion/ Recommendations:
1. One of the most notable findings is that 82% of students report a lack of exercise
because they don’t have the time. This is a gradual and long-term change, but
the IUSG Data Collection Team advocates for a continued push in marketing and
rhetoric to encourage students to make time for exercise. Possibly increasing
marketing of the weekly schedule of workout classes and advertising the value of
even 30 minute workout sessions could be valuable for this change.

2. With 99% of students reporting that exercise affects their mental health at least
somewhat, it may also be helpful to highlight exercise and its value in other
avenues of campus life. Many university departments and student efforts should
be commended for making increases in mental health accessibility a reality.
However, there are still many areas where progress is needed. Physical health is
one area of overall health that many students may forfeit to work on schoolwork
or other commitments.

3. Physical insecurities are a barrier to exercise for 23% of students. Ensuring that
gym spaces are inclusive and welcoming to students of all sizes, backgrounds,
abilities, and activity levels is a critical piece in helping students use the workout
spaces. Campaigns such as the “EveryBODY Week” are positive efforts to
ensure that people of all bodies can enjoy and feel welcomed at the gym spaces.

4. The IUSG Data Collection team would be happy to discuss further

recommendations and encourages all relevant parties to review the data and
survey findings to create feasible and positive policy recommendations in their
area of expertise. Any further questions should be directed to
iusgsurvey@gmail.com.